RDN faces recreational facility space shortage

RDN faces recreational facility space shortage

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, July 22, 2026

The Regional District of Nanaimo will move ahead with a needs assessment for a future indoor recreation facility in Oceanside after board members debated the region’s growing shortage of recreation space and who should foot the bill.

At its July 14 meeting, the board voted to direct staff to undertake a Northern Recreation Facility Needs Assessment. The board also approved adding $100,000 to the 2026 budget, funded through Northern Recreation Services reserve funds, to support the study.

The discussion comes as the region continues to grapple with the loss of recreation space. According to an RDN staff report, Oceanside has lost 43 per cent of its available indoor recreation facility space following the closure of Craig Street Commons in January.

The situation worsened earlier this year when the Town of Qualicum Beach initially announced it would not renew its lease for Qualicum Commons beyond June 30, 2026, forcing the RDN to relocate summer programs, secure alternate venues for fall activities, rent additional storage and cancel its pottery program.

The town later reversed course after reaching a one-year lease agreement with the Qualicum School District, allowing Qualicum Commons to remain open until June 30, 2027. However, RDN staff said the decision came after summer registration had already opened, making it too late to restore displaced programming.

Staff also noted the one-year extension does little to address the long-term uncertainty surrounding the facility and said they will continue exploring alternative recreation spaces.

The report renews a recommendation that has appeared in recreation planning documents for decades. The 2019-2029 Recreation Services Master Plan calls for a new 25,000- to 35,000-square-foot multi-purpose indoor recreation facility, warning the need would become increasingly urgent if facilities such as Craig Street Commons or Qualicum Commons were lost.

Tom Osborne, RDN General Manager of Recreation and Parks, said the assessment will determine whether existing facilities can better meet demand or whether additional recreation space is needed.

“The loss of the Craig Street Commons has definitely been a significant deficit to recreation services in the area,” Osborne told the board.

He added Northern Recreation Services are intended to serve the entire region, with residents from multiple communities using facilities throughout Oceanside.

Not all directors supported moving forward with the study or its funding.

Area F director Leanne Salter argued the proposal primarily benefits Parksville and Qualicum Beach, while many electoral areas already have community halls and recreation fields.

“I can’t support this because it’s not fair,” Salter said.

Area G director Lehann Wallace questioned whether a new assessment was necessary, saying several existing facilities are not fully utilized. She also opposed asking electoral area taxpayers to fund a project she believes would primarily benefit the municipalities.

“People I represent are feeling quite stretched,” Wallace said, pointing to other infrastructure priorities in her community.

Parksville Mayor Doug O’Brien and Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek supported the assessment.

Westbroek said community commons buildings have played an important role in delivering recreation programs to residents across the region.

“Let’s do a feasibility study,” he said. “Let’s make sure how much we need it and what we need.”